Firefighters praised

Firefighters praised - The West Australian

Volunteer firefighters from Manjimup and Pemberton have been commended for their heroic efforts during last week’s fire at the Deanmill timber mill.

The blaze ravaged through a central section of the mill during the early hours of last Thursday but was safely contained before it could do more damage.

Fire and Emergency Services Authority acting district manager Peter Thomas also paid tribute to the timber mill employees who were first on the scene.

‘‘The employees did a good job and had the fire under control by the time Manjimup and Pemberton fire and rescue services arrived,’’ Mr Thomas said.

‘‘There were about a dozen or so firefighters involved altogether, with the bushfire brigade assisting too, so all in all it was an extremely commendable group effort.’’

A FESA investigation found the fire started accidentally.

‘‘Auswest staff obviously check the areas where they’ve been working, but a spark probably got into some sawdust and went undetected — like what can happen with a bushfire,’’ Mr Thomas said.

‘‘It’s just ones of those things that can go wrong and unfortunately this time it did.’’

Manjimup fire captain John Jonker praised all the volunteers who had come together to fight the fire. Mr Jonker said it was a great example of bushfire services and fire and rescue services working as a cohesive team.

‘‘I’d like to thank Pemberton for turning up and the shire ranger for helping out,’’ Mr Jonker said.

‘‘Also thanks to the guys from the mill. They handled it very well. It wasn’t an easy fire to go up against, so it was a good team effort from everyone involved.’’